GADSDEN, Alabama -- State Rep. Craig Ford said he is proposing two bills for the current legislative session -- one only applying to Etowah County, and one statewide -- to allow retired law enforcement to serve as school resource officers.

Ford told a meeting of the Etowah County School Safety Committee this morning that he is more hopeful for the local bill because of the current political climate in Montgomery.

"Nobody is really working together, getting along down there," he said. "I'm looking out for Etowah County on this one."

The local bill would allow retired people with law enforcement training and background to serve as part-time school security. They would not be eligible for health insurance or retirement benefits beyond what they might already be receiving.

The bill would also exempt them from physical examination requirements, but require them to maintain firearms and use of force training. The Gadsden City Council earlier this week called on legislators to allow physical requirements be waived, as the city embarks on its own plan to staff all city schools with part-time security officers.

Ford said waiving the physical exam will not mean "we're going to go out and hire 500 pound SROs." It would open the pool of potential applicants among retired law enforcement, he said.

The officers would have arrest powers. Funding would come from local, state or federal money, and pay would not be tied to any existing pay scale.

Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton said he supported the plan because of its simplicity. "We don't need to make this too complicated with a lot of bureaucratic mumbo jumbo. We just need to keep it simple, get it passed, and get these people where they're needed," Guyton said.

The statewide bill proposes a similar scheme for other counties in Alabama. Ford said it was more likely that this bill would get bogged down in the Legislature. However, he said other counties are looking at Etowah County's plan.